Adding to my monogram collection....

So last week I bought a few Typo wood letters to add to my wall of decorated monograms. :)

I used chipboard to create the circular textured design on the base.

Then I embellished with a mix of pearls, lace, tassel and blooms,

It turned out really pretty! :)

Life is an adventure....*winks*

Indeed, life is an adventure in the Yam household. Especially when the 3 nephews + niece come over to spend the day. :)

And apparently it includes weapons of the toy kind.  Note nephew #1 holding a dagger and a machine gun, my sister holding a sword and the 4 kids in fireman hats. *LOL*

Yes my friends. This is my real life....lots of noisy and crazy fun! *winks*

I had a field day mixing patterns on this layout. And even took my sewing machine out for a spin. :)

Playing along with Stuck?! Sketches and The Studio Challenges.

P/s: Happy Thanksgiving US friends! :)

Combining two of my current fave things....

No prizes for guessing what my current fave things are...*winks*...mixed media and drawing. :)

I really wanted to just do an abstract mixed media piece using stencils and colorants.

Then I got stuck. My piece really needed a focal point. Before I knew it, I was drawing and painting a girl's face on my canvas panel. *winks*

It was actually quite hard to "play" on a textured surface that was loaded with layers of stencilled paint. But I actually love the texture on her face. :)

What do you think?

Playing along with The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge.

18 ideas for fun family layouts

If you are new to scrapbooking or don't scrapbook very often, sometimes it can be overwhelming to think of a subject matter to scrapbook about. Why don't you steal some of my ideas for fun family layouts? *winks*

At last

1. Scrapbook the food. A family that eats together, stays together....so let the food take centerstage on one or more of your pages. It could be a special treat or a classic that the family loves.

Why we need an umbrella indoors: the McCafe story

2. Document the place you dine at. Dining-out experiences can be scrapbook-worthy too...especially if it involves carrying an umbrella when dining in-doors at a McCafe. *winks*

Someone's got a new friend....

3. Include the milestone moments. Like when my sister got her first scooter. The fact that the photos were staged adds to the fun factor. *winks*

Fun monsters

4. Scrapbook about new "toys". Up the fun factor by incorporating super fun patterned papers to fit your theme. :)

Self-expression

5. Capture the self-expression moments. These are great if you have family members with dramatic self-expressions like I do...*LOL*

The one about the clay dinosaurs

6. Document the things family members make/create. Especially the kids. You know when you have a scrapbook page on the projects, those projects could get "lost" and no one would suspect "foul play"....*Evil music plays in the background*

Wet and wild in the tub

7. Include mundane activities like bath time for kids.  Disclaimer: I would like to stress on the kids' part. Adults in bathtub/shower will just be awkward in a family scrapbook album right? *LOL*

Funny story

8. Scrapbook the embarrassing stories. Like when the nephews had to wear your clothes because they dirtied theirs.

The new playground

9. Try a Before and After. Like kids before and after they hit a playground. Or a makeover perhaps.

I love hanging out with the boys!

10. Do a Now & Then. These are great to show growth for kids. And fashion choices in certain time periods.:)

Happy outtakes

11. Don't leave out the outtakes. Unless everyone looks terrible. Those photos need to be deleted pronto! *LOL*

My patterned papers talk to me

12. Scrapbook family members in their uniforms. People generally look good in a well-pressed uniform. Like nephew #1 when he got into an elite school for gifted children.

Noteworthy forever

13. Always include the "Laugh Out Loud" moments. Like when my niece S wanted to play dress-up with my wig and all the relatives had a field day laughing and taking photos...and she was happily posing for them. *winks*

On a bus adventure

14. Documents the "firsts". The first time is always magical and exciting. Especially for the kids. Like when nephew #3 and niece went on a bus excursion with me to collect my mail at the post office.

The one about the pretend sad faces

15.  Scrapbook the failed re-enactments. I must say I have the most sporting parents ever! Here they are re-enacting the sad faces that I missed capturing earlier because I was laughing so hard!

The new mixer

16. Include pages on new household appliances. I love that I can whip out a scrapbook page with the exact date of when we bought the new mixer...possibly faster than the time it takes to find the warranty card. :)

Scooter buddies

17. Cover moments when family members look cute. Like my mum and sister in helmets. :)

A cute layout for Maya Road and Ruby Rock-It

18. Combine the various activities in the course of one day on a layout. An absolute time-saver. :)

There you have it. 18 ideas for fun family layouts. Will you use some of them to document your family stories?

Hello Charlee & Oliver!

So the stars were finally aligned and I got to meet my cousin P's two cuties! Say hello to Charlee and Oliver! :)

I went prepared of course....armed with craft supplies, stickers, books and chocolate. You know me...always gunning for the Best Aunt Award...*LOL*

I'm a little smitten by two year old Oliver who has such a charming personality. Plus he was very generous with his kisses for his auntie. :)

The girl was a tougher cookie to crack but after a few hours, she did throw me a bone and let me carry her. *winks* And I did score an extremely wet kiss from her at the end of the day. An afternoon well-spent. :)

Playing along with Stuck?! Sketches.

P/s: Happy weekend friends! If you have time, please play along with LESSology Challenge #53: Dress Form.

How I got started with drawing...

One of the best skills I picked up this year was drawing faces. It has been incredibly therapeutic and extremely rewarding.  :)

I started by taking an online class called Supplies Me taught by the artist Jane Davenport. It is an awesome class where she runs you through the different art supplies by using them to draw faces. Lifetime access to the course videos makes it easy for you to work at your own pace and there's an active Facebook group where members share their work and give encouraging comments.

Everyone can draw. Like everything in life, it just takes practice and confidence to improve your skills. For me, it has been a bit of an obsession since April. *winks*

I have spent hours pouring through drawing books at the reference section of my local library during my free time to speed up the learning curve. I've brought my supplies with me to draw on the plane on my travels.  And I have several art journals full of my imaginary friends.

So give drawing a go. My advice to you is to draw big! Seriously, I started with an A5 journal and was struggling to get details in. Then I moved into a big altered book journal and it actually got easier. And get a good eraser. It's a magical tool to perform "surgery" on your faces.*LOL*

10 ideas for creating bright and bold backgrounds for your layouts

Colours help to convey emotions and that's why my family layouts are often in bright and bold colours. It always makes me happy when I flip through my albums. Are you shy about using bright and bold colours on your pages? Here are 10 ideas for creating bright and bold backgrounds for your layouts.

My little helper

1. Go with bold colours in a graphic pattern.

Strips of paper scraps helped to anchor the photos and smaller circular elements (buttons and brads) helped to tie the elements together.

Birthday cake in bed

2. Create a "faux" grid.

A grid makes it easy for you to place your elements. Repeated elements like the floral design complete the visual triangle (the misted background, the strip of foam blooms and the girl holding a bloom) and pull the composition together.

Lunch at Level 33

3. Extend the colours from your photos.

Tie the elements together by using a strong grounding colour like black. Black and white is an optically arresting combination with powerful graphic qualities.

The super cheeky phase

4. Try some drips.

Here the drips from the Dylusions mists helped to guide the eye both horizontally and vertically. Try tilting the paper or blow using a straw.

Happy miss sunshine with her milk-drinking pig!

5. Help guide the eye with obvious cues.

The repeated elements here create harmony even though the background is a little messy.

My new "skill"

6. Play with diagonals.

Diagonals can add movement and help to guide the eye across your layout. The washi tape, stamped words and tilted photo helped to tie the elements together even though the background is a little noisy.

A whimsical scene

7. Create a "scene".

Make the bold background the backdrop of your fun "scene".

Their eyeballs pop out

8. Play with a chevron design.

One powerful design element combined with the power of "threes" (three boys, three watches, three photo blocks) pull the elements together on a relatively simple layout.

That sweet smile and flat nose

9. Go with black and white photos.

The contrast of black and white photos against a bold background always create a visual impact.

The one about the shy guy 

10. Go wild with layering stencil designs with different mediums.

Have a little fun creating your own custom patterned paper. A starburst stencil was first applied with some gloss gel, then coloured with Ecolines (liquid water colours). Next, Dylusions inks sprays were applied with another stencil to create an artsy messy background. The rectangular photo mat helped to anchor the focal point and serve as a dramatic contrast to the background.

There you have it. 10 ideas for creating bright and bold backgrounds for your layouts. Which one caught your eye? *winks*